Manuscript sources for some motifs in early Islamic glass painting

Abstract

The study of decorated glassware from the early Islamic period hinges very largely on the classification and dating of fragments, since few complete vessels have survived. Perhaps for this reason the subject, though full of interest for the glass historian, has received rather scant attention in the literature. The purpose of this article is to suggest that surviving examples of painted lustre glass from this period enable us to identify several ways in which manuscript models were used by glass craftsmen in the sphere of early Islam.